Dog Training In The Home

Sharing a home with an untrained, unruly dog can be a nightmare. Even if you are prepared to put up with it your friends & visitors won’t. In the end it is the dog that suffers as when you have visitors he will be shut away & won’t understand why. Remember dogs are sociable animals & are not happy spending a lot of time alone. Teaching good manners in the home is as important as other aspects of training.

Furniture and Beds

Lying on carpets or the floor for long periods can be a problem for bigger breeds as they are heavy & can develop sores. In light of this you can provide them with a bean bag or old sofa for them to use as a bed. Even for the smaller breeds you can supply a ‘bed’ of sorts.

If there is a bed available & you have already started teaching him the ‘down’ command you can start to teach him the ‘off’ & ‘on your bed’ commands. As soon as he puts a paw on the furniture say ‘no’ sternly & remove the paw or dog Take him by the collar or pick him up if he is small & put him on his own bed saying ‘on your bed’, then ‘down’. Praise him when he obeys. With a puppy, persistence is the only answer.

An older dog can growl at you when you try to get him off the furniture, especially if he feels stronger or more dominant than the owner. When this is the case never allow him in the room alone. When you go in the room keep him on a long leash. If he gets up on the furniture wait until all four legs are on & jerk the lead saying ‘off’. On his lead take him to his bed using the commands as previously mentioned. Don’t forget to praise him when he obeys.

You don’t want your dog to equate going on his bed with punishment. So sometimes arm yourself with tidbits for him & reward him with these as you praise him for going on his bed.

If you find this post helpful you can go to
http://derek893.bezoogle.com/pp/dog-training/ for a comprehensive dog training course.

Derek